The operation of engines and corresponding drive lines is often impaired by unwanted vibrations at acoustically relevant frequencies. Materials like steel have small damping capacities allowing vibration energy to be transmitted through them with little attenuation. Specific engine and gearbox mounts may reduce the transmission of sound into a stationary support structure. However, sound may also propagate via rotating components in the drive line from the engine to a driven component such as a propeller of a ship.
Such drive lines may include compensation couplings for compensating axial and angular displacements between rotating parts of the drive line. An example of such a compensation coupling is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,677,980 B2. This coupling has a corrugated membrane made of fiber-reinforced plastic which is axially flexible so as to deform during rotation. Such membranes and similar structures tend to radiate acoustic noise when being exited.
Another coupling showing multi-layered corrugated disks is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,569 B2. The corrugated disks are smoothly curved in radial direction to provide a wavy profile in cross-section.